The DFA Library

The Dillman Family Association Library and Archive

The DFA Library was started by DFA member Phil Dillman prior to the creation of the DFA in 2002. It originally consisted of 3-ring binders filled with information and photos of his ancestors and their siblings as well as binders with information for other Dillmans that he couldn’t connect to his own family with the hope of linking them up one day. Since that time, the Library’s collection has grown dramatically as the DFA continues to gather information through the efforts of the members, the increasing amount of information available on the Internet and, of course, the Dillman DNA Project. There are currently about 60 binders in the collection with half of those covering the Conrad/Hans George Dillmann Group. Many of the other binders cover some of the 14 unrelated Dillman families that have been identified through the DNA project while the rest cover some unconnected Dillmans and the DFA.

Along with the binders, the collection also contains quite a few books, with some written by a Dillman about their hobby or passion or some educational text books. Others are written about a Dillman in the form of a biography. There are even some fictional books that include characters with the name of Dillman.

Newspaper and magazine articles are always welcome additions to the collection, with many recently added from the Internet. There are also many photos of people, places, and headstones that have been collected from members of different Dillman families plus several audio tapes and CDs with interviews of Dillmans researchers.

The collection is rounded out by a number of Dillman-related collectibles. Some are advertising items from various Dillman-named businesses, artwork by Dillmans, family crests, employment name tags, plus reproduction maps and plat books containing Dillman property.

The DFA prides itself in their effort to gather and share information with others researching their Dillman family ancestors. Most of the contents of the DFA Library travel to each Dillman Genealogical Conference, with the last one in Fort Wayen, Indiana, August 2016. The collection will be at the next Conference in August 2018 in Plainfield (Indianapolis), Indiana. Newsletters often report updated items in the Library.